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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26796742">your feet on the ground, your head in the sky</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Snips [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The West Wing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Pre-Slash</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:09:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26796742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s the second week of January and the inaugural speech is giving Sam dark circles that, unfortunately, do not make him look less attractive, the bastard.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Snips [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891387</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>your feet on the ground, your head in the sky</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>FYI: Yeah, this is just my excuse to write a fic (or more) where Sam doesn't leave in s4, because... reasons?  That might be explained later? Sorry - I'm still thinking about it lol. Thanks for reading.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sam comes back from California the third week of October, and Will Bailey shows up one month later. He seems a little starstruck whenever anyone in the West Wing talks to him, despite the fact that guy ran a campaign on a dead man’s bucket of ideas and sheer willpower. It's is all well and good until Sam puts Will in the comm bullpen and announces that he’s helping write the inaugural address (pending Toby’s approval), which makes Toby shake his head and mutter, “God, what next, CJ gets a Friendster manager?” which leads to CJ replying, “I can use Friendster, Ziegler, I’ve got a thousand followers who love my sensible heels, which is more than you,” and Josh not saying anything because he’s just going to make things worse. </p><p>Will is like Sam in that slice of time after the first election and before the first inauguration: bright and green and way too idealistic for his own good. The only thing is that he apparently likes statistics as much as Sam likes reciting driving directions, which leads to things like this:</p><p>“Give me the numbers,” the President says, looking at an education reform plan with a technology initiative. It’s the second week of January and the inaugural speech is giving Sam dark circles that unfortunately do not make him look less attractive, the bastard. This has nothing - <em> nothing </em>to do with the fact that Josh has seen Sam in ratty t-shirts, holey jeans, baggy sweatshirts, stupidly drunk and terribly sick, half-naked and rain-soaked, and is still halfway (all the way, the Donna voice says in his head. He ignores it) gone for him, so there’s that. </p><p>Will says, “Well, 53% of all schools currently have computer labs fitted out. But there's maybe 100,000 schools using SMARTboards, which were patented in ‘91, but didn't really blow up until a few years ago. I mean, they're basically glorified projectors, but I think there's interest in them, so -” </p><p>Toby cuts him off, saying, “You really need to get that checked out.” Sam is grinning like he’s won something, eyes sparkling, CJ’s doing her best not to smile, and Josh, again, is confused to hell, so he decides to just shut up. </p><p>The President, strangely enough, actually looks… <em> interested</em>, but Leo steers the conversation into safe, non-encyclopedic, non-weirdly specific territory, and things go on. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Things get stranger when Donna shows up in Josh's office with bagels from that really good place she refuses to reveal (“Seriously, Josh. I’m entitled to privacy as American citizen. Aren’t you supposed to protecting my best interests?”) and gives him a bagel with stuff he actually likes. </p><p>“Ok,” Josh says after three bites, because it really is good. “Donna, what’s wrong?”</p><p>Donna’s sipping some strange colored smoothie, but she screws up her face in mock-indignation. “Joshua, seriously, can’t I just do something nice without any reasons at all?”</p><p>“Last week, you gave me good coffee and then tried to convince me that the DC Dinosaur's renaming should be part of our domestic policy platform,” Josh notes, half-amused. Donna’s eyes light up, which happens every time she's stuck on something and runs with it. “I'm just saying <em> Capitalsaurus </em> isn't the best option. We need to set a better precedent for naming things up here, otherwise…”</p><p>She trails off when she figures out Josh is very obviously paying more attention to his bagel, and waves a hand. “Semantics, details. Whatever. But we’re getting back to this.” </p><p>Donna’s smiling though, which is always good to see on her face (Josh will <em>not </em> admit it, shut up.) If Sam is in that cross between best friend, brilliant coworker, and object of very unrequited affections, Donna's the person who sets him straight on the daily and refuses to give up on what she believes in. It sounds weirdly like having a sister, which makes something ache, hot and low in Josh’s heart. </p><p>“Seriously though,” she says, voice sliding into sincerity. “I’m just really glad we get to keep working here. It’s a cause for celebration, don’t you think?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Josh says, mid-bite, because the magnitude of winning the second time around, the actuality that they can keep changing things the best they can is still hitting him hard. It’s not quite the adrenaline rush and <em> holy shit we did it </em> feeling that came the first time around, but it’s good. It is. </p><p>Sam says, “Hey, are those bagels?” from his spot at the door jamb, his hair spiky and mussed, glasses shoved in his collar. He looks awful, technically, but he’s still beaming at Donna, the kind of beam that cleaves Josh’s heart open. It's made the world fall in love with Sam Seaborn, that damn smile. </p><p>Donna nods, says, “I got you scallions and everything,” and Sam comes in, literally plops in the seat across from her, saying, “You deserve a raise. And all the respect. And comfy shoes because high heels look pretty painful.” </p><p>Donna replies, her mouth slanting in a matching grin, “That’s what I keep saying to this one." She crooks her thumb at Josh. "You’re the only one who realizes it. And don't worry, I've got gel soles for a reason." </p><p>Josh objects, probably, but it comes out pretty indistinguishable, and Donna laughs. She pecks Sam on the cheek and exits, leaving Josh and Sam with their bagels. Sam’s got a smear of cream cheese on his cheek, which Josh is avoiding looking at, so when Sam says, “Josh, hey, you ok?” he says, “Huh?” like a complete idiot. </p><p>“I was asking if you wanted to get drinks this Friday with CJ,” Sam says. Josh blinks. </p><p>“Geez, who hit you over the head today? I thought Fridays weren't supposed to exist here,” he says, and Sam rolls his eyes, but his mouth is quirked up at one end. </p><p>“My brain’s sort of been scrambled over this whole inauguration thing,” Sam explains, between finishing off his bagel and chucking the wrapper in the trash can. “I fell asleep on my desk and woke up to bedhead and Toby's voice. He said he was going to send my ass back to high school English if I kept using split infinitives.” </p><p>“Oh wow,” Josh deadpans. “You totally deserve it. What next, you'll be forgetting Oxford commas or something?” </p><p>“If I did, I would send myself back,” Sam says. “I'd handcuff myself to the grammar police headquarters and everything.” </p><p>“Right,” Josh replies, rolling his eyes. “You're a dork.”</p><p>“And you still haven't answered,” Sam reminds him, raising an eyebrow. “Also, <em> dork? </em>I'm insulted, Lyman. You could have called me a dumbass or your awkward, well-meaning better half, but you stooped way too low.” </p><p>The way he says <em> better half  </em>hums in Josh’s head, repeating over and over. <em> Better half </em>might mean a summer becoming friends, kickstarted by camping out in the ISHDC lobby with awful, awful vending machine food. Or it might mean Josh leaning forward and tangling their fingers together, right here and right now. </p><p>He ignores it, because a) he works in the White House, b) Sam also works in the White House, c) neither of them have said anything about it since they were junior staffers in Congress, and d) CJ would probably have his head after the whole secret plan to fight inflation thing, even though he likes to think she'd be ok with it on a personal level. There aren't really many things Josh <em> likes </em>to think or assume; that's just not the way he's wired, but this stupid, unrelenting, terrible thing in his heart is one of them. </p><p>“Fine, you're a well-meaning dumbass dork,” Josh continues. “But awkward? You're downplaying yourself, Sam. Haven't you ever heard yourself talk?” </p><p>“Haven't you?” Sam retorts, tilting his head, fingers skimming his jaw. “I can't get a date because every one ends with me explaining something about the Hill or the White House or talking about policies that need to happen. Or possible TV reboots of Star Trek.” </p><p>The thing is, Sam’s right. Josh has seen him bungle up conversations, but that's only when he's trying. When Sam really starts <em> talking, </em>eyes bright and voice impassioned, people pay attention. People listen. It'll make Sam a great politician, if he ever decides to be one; Josh hopes, someday, he’ll be right there beside him in some capacity. </p><p>“I still don't get the Trek thing, so maybe leave it on the table next time,” he replies, because Josh has always been a Star Wars fan at heart; seeing A New Hope in your childhood will do that to you. Still, more people should take a page from McCoy's book. “But take my word for it, ok? And yeah, I’ll come on Friday. What place?” </p><p>Sam tells him and then lets himself out, promising that if CJ drinks them under the table again, he’ll pay. Josh tells him to get some sleep, and he gets a rueful half-grin in return. He turns to his desk, hears the start of Donna on the phone with someone from the Office of Administration. Josh guesses that in five minutes, she’ll poke her head in and say that he's got another meeting about an issue he has no clue about.</p><p>He’ll probably just send her to do it instead; Donna deals with admin in a way that’s efficient, clean, and admirable, despite it being, you know, <em> admin. </em>The fact that it's technically part of his job description doesn't mean he has to be good at it<em>. </em>Plus, it means Josh won't be at the end of some truly confusing paperwork (seriously, did somebody really need to know the <em>exact</em> amount of mail that had shown up at the White House on June 6, 2001?) </p><p>He lets himself take a breath and scans the first form of the pile, pen in hand, and tries to ignore the skitter in his heartbeat. </p>
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